This invention relates to wall cladding anchorage.
Many buildings have a basic structure of brick, blocks or concrete sheathed by panels or some form of cladding that can make them look more attractive, as well as adding to the insulation and weather proofing.
However, the attachment of such cladding needs to be secure and long-standing, which is not always the case.
There have been developed and in use for many years now wall ties that can be inserted and secured in position through the outer leaf of a cavity wall, to take over from the original wall ties which tend to rust away. These replacement wall ties are generally stainless steel rods, some with expansion bolt arrangements and others enveloped by a loose fabric sleeve. When the latter are inserted into a drilling in a wall, grout is injected under pressure from the outer end to expand the sleeve against the wall of the drilling. When the grout has set hard, the tie is locked in place.
The present invention adapts this type of tie to the securing of wall cladding.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cladding anchor comprising a rigid elongate member, fabric sleeves loosely enveloping each end portion of said member, and means for admitting grout under pressure into those sleeves at their inner adjacent ends.
The elongate member will preferably be a stainless steel rod, and the sleeves should advantageously be axially confined between radial abutments. Thus, when grout is injected they can only expand radially. These abutments may be, at the inner ends of the sleeves, washer-like plates secured near the mid-length of the rod, while the ends of that rod may be capped by discs which form the outer end abutments.
The means for admitting the grout may simply be a duct, conveniently of flexible plastics tube, leading through washer-like discs forming the radial abutments at the inner, adjacent ends of the sleeves.
As will be apparent later, the filling of the sleeves with grout cannot be monitored directly, and therefore preferably there will be means for determining at a remote point when each sleeve is filled with grout. This may be another duct from the inner end of the sleeve which serves as a vent for grout. When grout emerges from the exposed end, that will be a signal that the filling operation is complete.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching cladding to a building, the method comprising:
(a) drilling into the wall of the building,
(b) inserting one end of an anchor as defined above into each drilling,
(c) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves on said one ends to expand the sleeves against the drilling walls and allowing the grout to set, leaving the other ends projecting,
(d) drilling or otherwise creating or using blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding which will register with the drillings in the wall,
(e) offering up the cladding so that the projecting ends of the anchors enter the cavities, and
(f) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves of said other ends via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the cavity walls, and allowing the grout to set.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching cladding to a building, the method comprising:
(a) drilling, or otherwise creating or using, blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding,
(b) inserting one end of an anchor as defined above into each cavity,
(c) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves on said one ends to expand the sleeves against the cavity walls and allowing the grout to set, leaving the other ends projecting,
(d) drilling into the wall of the building at points which will register with the cavities in the cladding,
(e) offering-up the cladding so that said other projecting ends of the anchors enter the drillings, and
(f) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves of said other ends via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the drilling walls, and allowing the grout to set.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention there is provided a cladding anchor comprising two rigid elongate elements connectable into a single rigid elongate member, fabric sleeves loosely enveloping said elements but separated when the single member is formed, and means for admitting grout under pressure into those sleeves at the ends which are adjacent when the single member is formed.
Conveniently, one element is a tube into which the other element, a rod, screws. Again the sleeves are preferably axially confined between radial abutments, and the means for admitting the grout may comprise ducts of flexible plastics tube leading through washer-like discs forming the radial abutments at the adjacent ends of the sleeves when the single member is formed. There will also conveniently be means for determining at a remote point when each sleeve is filled with grout, such as a duct from said adjacent end of the sleeve which serves as a vent.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching cladding to a building, the method comprising:
(a) drilling into the wall of the building,
(b) inserting one element of a two element anchor as just defined into each drilling,
(c) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves on said one elements to expand the sleeves against the drilling walls and allowing the grout to set, leaving the other ends projecting,
(d) drilling, or otherwise creating or using, blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding which will register with the drilling in the wall,
(e) connecting the other elements to said one elements to form said members,
(f) offering up the cladding so that said other elements of the anchors enter the cavities, and
(g) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves of said other elements via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the cavity walls, and allowing the grout to set.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method comprising:
(a) drilling, or otherwise creating or using, blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding,
(b) inserting one element of a two element anchor as just defined into each cavity,
(c) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves on said one ends to expand the sleeves against the cavity walls and allowing the grout to set, leaving the other ends projecting,
(d) drilling into the wall of the building at points which will register with the cavities in the cladding,
(e) connecting the other elements to said one elements to form said members,
(f) offering-up the cladding so that said other elements of the anchors enter the drillings, and
(g) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves of said other elements via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the drilling walls, and allowing the grout to set.
Thus in the method where the anchorage is first fixed to the back of the cladding, the cladding can have the tubes fitted first, without the rods. This will allow the cladding to be packaged and transported without the problems and hazards of projecting rods. Those can be fixed on site just before the offering-up step.
However, in some circumstances it may be desirable to fit the rods to the cladding, leaving the portions that engage in the tubes projecting. The tubes are attached immediately before fitting to the wall. There may be a selection of different tubes, all capable of being engaged by the basic rod, but with different dimensions to suit the drillings in the wall and the load to be sustained.
It is possible to reverse this, and either fit the tube in the wall first, engage the rod and then offer-up the cladding, or anchor the rod in the wall with the tube-engaging end projecting, fit a suitable tube, and then offer up the cladding over that.
According to one more aspect of the present invention there is provided a cladding anchor comprising a rigid elongate member, a fabric sleeve loosely enveloping said member, and means for admitting grout under pressure into the sleeve at a point intermediate its ends.
Preferably, the sleeve is axially confined between radial abutments at each end, and there will generally be a vent from another intermediate point. Also, at the intermediate zone where the grout is admitted, there should advantageously be means to maintain the rod co-axial with the sleeve. This may be an annulus held co-axially on the rod and fitted or formed with the means for admitting and venting grout. In use, this annulus will engage through the sleeve the mouth of a drilling or cavity into which either end is entered.
According to an extra aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching cladding to a building; the method comprising:
(a) drilling into the wall of the building,
(b) inserting one end of a single fabric sleeve anchor as defined above into each drilling,
(c) drilling, or otherwise creating or using, blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding which will register with the drillings in the wall,
(d) offering up the cladding so that the other ends of the anchors enter the cavities, and
(e) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the drilling and cavity walls, and allowing the grout to set.
According to one further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching cladding to a buildings, the method comprising:
(a) drilling, or otherwise creating or using, blind cavities in the reverse side of the cladding which will register with the drillings in the wall,
(b) inserting one end of a single fabric sleeve anchor as defined above into each cavity,
(c) drilling, into the wall of the building,
(d) offering up the cladding so that the ends of the anchors enter the drillings, and
(e) injecting grout into the fabric sleeves via ducts leading between the cladding and the wall, to expand the sleeves against the drilling and cavity walls, and allowing the grout to set. Step (c) may precede steps (a) and (b), in both methods.